In the Oxfordshire Leagues it has become a City versus Cowley season. In division 4 City 5 have leapfrogged City 4 and Cowley 4 and are close to securing the title. At the top of division 3, City 3 and Cowley 3 are at loggerheads and division 2 sees City 2 and Cowley 2 battling it out for the top spot.

In division 1, Cowley 1 surprisingly lost to Wantage 1 last week, leaving City 1 well placed. If results go their way, Witney 1 can still take the title; but, following their defeat of a strong University side, City have one hand on the trophy.

The following game was played on the top board of the recent City-University clash. For the university, Argentinean Gustavo German — who used to boast an Elo rating of around 2500 — plays a little passively and City’s Jon Manley never allows him to fully equalise. White: Jon Manley Black: Gustavo German 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 d6 A favourite of Steinitz, Lasker and Capablanca so it cannot be bad. Nevertheless, both 4...Bb4 and Rubinstein’s 4...Nd4 are nowadays more highly thought of. 5.d4 Bd7 6.0–0 exd4?! This takes the pressure off White’s centre. 6...Be7 was better.

7.Nxd4 Nxd4 Now White’s queen comes to a dominant square but if instead 7...Be7 then 8.Nf5 had to be reckoned with.

8.Qxd4 Be7 9.Bf4 White has a small but stable advantage — and an easy game to play — but here 9.b3 intending 10.Bb2 might have been better.

9...Bxb5 10.Nxb5 a6 11.Nc3 0–0 12.Rad1 Qc8!? 13.h3 Re8 14.a4 Qe6 15.Rfe1 Rad8 16.a5 White can sit on this position with the happy knowledge that almost anything Black attempts to break free will backfire.

16…h6 17.Qa7!? Jon thought 17.b3 was more accurate here since he had overlooked Black’s next move.

17...Qc4! 18.Rd4! Luckily, Jon had this strong move to end Black’s counter-play. Of course 18.Qxb7? Rb8 19.Qa7 Rxb2 is not what White wants.

18...Qc5 If 18...Qc6 then 19.Rb4 is strong.

19.Qxc5 dxc5 20.Rdd1! Much better than 20.Rxd8 Bxd8!

20...Rxd1 21.Rxd1 Bd6?! Black is worse because of his doubled c-pawns; but saddling himself with a backward pawn on an open file is no answer. After the superior 21...Rd8 22.f3 White would have had an advantage; but it might not have been enough for victory. 22.Bxd6 cxd6 23.f3 Re6 24.Ne2! c4!? Black desperately seeks counter-play. The passive defence 24...Ne8 would see White improve his position with 25.Nf4 Re5 26.Kf2 and contemplate a rook lift: Rd1-d3-b3.

25.Nf4 Re5 26.Nd5!? Heading for simplification into a — hopefully — won king and pawn ending. The alternative: 26.Rxd6 Rxa5 27.Rb6 Rb5 28.Rxb5 axb5 was also good.

26...Nxd5 27.Rxd5 Rxd5 28.exd5 g5?! Black could have tried 28...Kh7! 29.Kf2 Kg6 30.Ke3 Kf5 31.Kd4 Kf4 32.Kxc4 Ke5. Here White would have had to ditch his extra pawn to win and just might have gone wrong. 29.Kf2 Kg7 30.Ke3 f5 31.g3 Kf6 32.f4! Wisely keeping the enemy king out of e5.

23…gxf4+ 33.gxf4 Kg6 34.Kd4 Kh5 35.Kxc4 Kh4 36.Kd3 and White won easily.